Estonia in shock: 10 drone pilots just wiped out 200 Estonian soldiers and 20 Nato AVFs in 6 hours

The balance of power in Europe’s northeast no longer depends solely on troop numbers or armored brigades, but on how forces survive under constant surveillance and precision strike. For the Baltic region, deterrence rests on the assumption that NATO formations can deploy, maneuver, and fight before being dismantled from the air. That assumption is now being stress-tested against the realities of a drone-saturated battlefield shaped by the war in Ukraine. Exercises meant to reassure allies are increasingly exposing uncomfortable gaps between doctrine and modern combat. In this context, events unfolding in Estonia have forced NATO to confront how vulnerable even large formations can be in the opening phase of a conflict. The question is no longer whether the alliance would respond, but whether it could do so fast enough before losing combat effectiveness.

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